7.28.14 The Saving Cucumber and the Importance of Listening

Family!

How is everyone doing! I hope you all had a wonderful 24th of July! I was able to watch the movie 17 miracles yesterday. I am so grateful for our ancestor’s sacrifices, testimonies and examples. 

This week was a great week! We were able to really get the members involved and to see lots of miracles!

Funny stories/ Highlights

So yesterday after church we went to go see 'grandma' Sister Corigan. She is a recent convert and she LOVES the missionaries, she is also very determined to feed us till we are stuffed. I have experiences some very interesting meals with her and have tried lots of new things for example; Broccoli Robb or as my companion calls it the vegetable from Hell,  Onion Salad and so forth. But really she is great and such a sweet heart we love her a lot. So we were sitting with her after the prayer about to leave and then she says "oh! I just read something on Facebook that is suppose to help your memory.....but I can't remember what it was..." we all burst out laughing. Oh the people in Jersey are classic.

We had a lesson this week With Mary our investigator at a member’s house. When we pulled up our investigator got out of her car and expressed to us that she was having a bad day and she did not really want to be here (Jersey girls we tell you what’s up). Sister Allen and I looked at each other nervously because we also were about to teach her about the law of tithing tonight.

 As we walked inside our member sister Pollaro was so sweet and just talked with Mary. Although Mary wasn't really in the mood to talk she was kind and spoke to her anyways. Eventually the conversations turned awkward and then sister Pollaro realized that she had lost her cucumber she was holding in her hand for our salad. We went on a massive cucumber hunt; it turned out to break the ice. THUS THE SAVING CUCUMBER as we prepared to go share the lesson with her in the living room we found the cucumber on the living room table. We laughed for a couple of minutes and it set the perfect tone for our lesson. Mary is doing so good and is so excited to be baptized! She has seen a lot of trials but she is strong! 

We also were able to go and help with another stake primary activity this week. The kids are so cute. They all dressed up and acted out their favorite Book or Mormon missionary stories. 

We were able to also get on top of the Newark chapel after and just look at the jersey skyline. 

I love serving here in Jersey:) great memories are being made, and life long friends as well.

As I have been studying recently in the Book of Mormon my focus has been on how God speaks to us. It has widened my horizons to see that he speaks to us in so many different ways; through the spirit, through others, through prophets, scriptures, weather, constraint, commandments, parents, visions, dreams, angels.

As I was reading this morning I came to the realization that yes the Lord speaks to us in many different ways, but are we listening for it? Sometimes I think I run through life doing 'God's will' with horse blinders on, closing my eyes and plugging my ears and moving forward. And I wonder why he's not answering sometimes ha-ha.

 I've noticed that our Heavenly Father also tends to speak to us in ways that we will recognize it. Like for example. For me when it rains, I feel like it's God speaking to me and reminding me that he is there and that he loves me. I wonder how many blessings I have not counted or miracles I have not noticed because I was not looking for them, or my 'ears where not opened'. You defiantly find what you are looking for, if you are diligently seeking Him, with open heart and mind and 'real intent…. You will find him. 

Thanks for all you do family, thank you for the prayers. They are felt:) love you!

Love,
sister Clark

7.21.14 Feed my Sheep

Hello family and friends:) All is well in Zion. This week.. like every week was amazing. Goodness.. I just love being a missionary! it truly is the best. Although we had some set backs this week it ended with some amazing miracles! The 4 highlights of my week were as follows.

Highlight number 1

Well this is kind of a thorn and rose. Thorn is that I haven't been feeling to well for the past while.. but the great part about that was. When I went to the doctor I got to see one of my recent converts from Caldwell (Luis) that works in that doctors office:) It was so good to see him. He seems to be doing well.

Highlight number 2

This week our zone was asked to put on a stake primary activity. We had skits, we had songs, make your own nametags, learn how to tie a tie and also we had time for 'pictures with the missionaries'. It was so fun to watch these little kids act out their favorite missionary stories in the Book of Mormon. We learn a lot from little children and how willing they are to share the gospel. We had one of the parents of a little girl who attended the activity come up to us on Sunday and told us that her daughter (with her missionary tag on) gave out 2 pass along cards at the store after the activity.

Highlight number 3

Sunday's here are always a highlight. As we were preparing to go into sacrament meeting we saw one of our investigators Mary sitting on the couch in the foyer. She was talking to the Spanish missionaries and she looked a little misty eyed. She saw us.. Gave us a look and told us to sit down. As we sat down next to her one of the Spanish sisters whispered to me "this is about to get awesome" so we sat down and Mary proceeded to tell us she decided that she's going to be baptized. She started to cry as she told us how she had been praying and praying to know if she should be baptized. Then the other day she randomly opened up the scriptures to Mosiah 27.. as she read it hit her like a lightning bolt. She said she just felt overwhelming warmth as she read about baptism. As the week went on she thought of it again and again but though it must have surly been her mind. So she decided to test it again. She sat down closed her eyes. Opened her scriptures and just pointed at a verse... the verse said, "repent and be baptized". Boom second confirmation.

So excited for Mary! It was the neatest thing to watch my companion and her just hug and sob together. Sister Allen has been working with Mary and has been waiting for this moment for a long time. We are so elated. Mary also went up to the bishop after church and asked him to baptize her. You can imagine his excitement as well. 

Highlight number 4

After church we went to go see our dear friend Dave again (man pictured last week reading the book of Mormon) lo and behold when we pulled up we found him reading his book of Mormon again:) we spoke with him and he told us that he loves the book of Mormon. How he can just sit down for hours and read. He has also gone onto Mormon.org and ordered some tabernacle choir dad’s to watch in surround sound with his family. As we asked him if he's prayed to know if the book of Mormon is true, he looked at us with a questioning look and said. “How can something so amazing not be true.” It's so hard to describe how amazingly prepared Dave is. But man... he is very prepared.. he is just eating up everything we share with him. He is 'hungering and thirsting after righteousness'. Just add some water and some priesthood and he's good to go:)

Also that evening as we were preparing to head home we decided to stop by a man who we had met the other day. He let us into his home and brought his wife and his son in and we shared the restoration with them. They are now 3 of our new investigators!

The power of the Holy Ghost is real. As missionaries, as members, as Children of God, the words we say, or the things we share with one another will not be remembered as much as the feelings we feel from the Holy Ghost. I've been so blessed to be in situations when, sometimes I have no idea what's coming out of my mouth but the spirit is there. And the words are not my own. I'm grateful for this great testifier of truth. I love being a missionary. This week I’ve really been able to reflect the things that matter most to me in life; my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ- The Gospel-My Family. 

Anyways I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thank you for the prayers. They are felt every day!

Love,
Sister Clark

P.S. A random quote from a black guy we met, "You know some people always tell me "god is good, I always say, No, chicken is good, God is GREAT!"

7.14.14 I Love Being a Missionary!

This week was amazing! It literally felt like the days would last forever but the week just flew by! 

Oh Happy Birthday Emmitt! Hope you have a great birthday and have fun on your new trampoline!

The first part of this week was mostly knocking lots of doors and trying to find people; it was towards the end of the week when we started to see the miracles. 

Highlights of the week

-Acting out 1 Nephi 3 with a 13-year-old recent convert. We had a lot of fun. I think sister Allen had some built up anger from the week as she pretended to beat me with a stick. Ha-ha jk but it was a great way to learn and understand the scriptures better.

-We met a man named Henry from India and we learned a lot about Hinduism it was neat. We were able to share the restoration with him and he wants to learn more! We are excited to teach him and his family.

-So on the 4th of July Sister Allen and I decided to contact in an area that we hadn't before. As we tried a few potentials no one answered. The first person we talked to that day was an older man sitting on his porch. We talked to him and we asked him a few questions and really got to know him. When the time was right we introduced who we are and our purpose. He saw our Book of Mormon in hand and told us. "You know.. When I moved into this house it was completely empty except there was that book still here. And I don't really believe in coincidences."

 Sometimes when people say things like that I just don't even know what to say I’m just so excited and filled with eternal Joy. He proceeded to tell us that he had read some of it but didn't really know what it was about. So we scheduled an appointment for yesterday.

 As sister Allen and I went throughout the week we called and left messages but did not receive an answer. He was so far on the border of our area we couldn't afford the miles to just stop in. So we drove yesterday in faith to West Orange for our appointment. We ended up arriving around 45 minutes early to find Dave sitting on his porch reading the book of Mormon.:) Best moment ever! (Note the stalker picture)

We went and talked with him as he described what he read and we explained that we wanted so share with him today how it came to be. He said, "I would like that". As we taught him he agreed and was eating up everything we told him. As we shared the first vision with him he told us that he could not deny it. And that he was excited to read more of the book of Mormon. As we drove away after the appointment he was reading more on his porch. MIRACLE! I know and testify that the Lord is preparing people for us to teach!

 My week ended with an appointment with the Thomas family they are active members of the ward and they actually are the family who introduced Luis and Denise (recent converts from Caldwell) to the church. We had an amazing conversation about the gospel with the Thomas family.

I feel like I'm in spiritual/physical boot camp for this last stretch of my mission. I already have seen a lot of work the Lord has done on me to increase my faith and to have a deeper understanding about the gospel. I'm so grateful for my mission. Ah I just love it:) hope you all have a great week! Keep it up!

Love,

Sister Clark

best hobbit door

young women lesson

"gimp"